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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · object · tube · roll · rash · race · fork · ground

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. roll — a list
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. race — humankind
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rash — hasty
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rash — a series
  21. object — an aim
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. race — a contest
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com